There are hurricane watches all up and down the east coast today and the latest forecast has hurricane Elaine Earl off the New England coast Friday night. The first hurricane that I remember is the 1955 hurricane, Connie or it could have been Diane (they struck five days apart) and what stands out in my memory was how worried my parents were that day.
We were up in a cottage that we rented in New Hampshire when we heard about the hurricane (we were probably at the cottage that we rented on Lake Winnisquam and I was almost 7 years old) and at the time; we owned two houses, one down in Milford and the other in the town where I live now. We were in the process of moving and we still had both houses. In New Hampshire, we had high winds and heavy rains and a number of the roads were closed and it was worst the closer that you got to Connecticut.
I remember my father on the phone talking to the state police about how to get back home to Milford, we had to go north and over to Vermont and New York. In New York we drove down the Taconic Parkway and then over the Merit Parkway, crossing the Housatonic river in Stratford on one of the few bridges across the Housatonic that was passable. Our house in Milford was on a high bluff next to the river. I remember looking down at the river and seeing all the debris piled up on its banks, the little marina was gone, just the piling remained. There was still flotsam coming down the river and we were told that there were coffins from a cemetery up river that was washed away and the coffins had floated down the river.
Later, we took a trip up river to visit friends and family. My mother had family in Waterbury and we visited them. I remember seeing most of Waterbury destroyed from the floodwater, there are photographs and an article about the storm damage in Waterbury here. After we left Waterbury was drove up to Winsted. The whole center of the town was washed away, you can read their stories here.
Now when you drive around the Farmington, Naugatuck and Housatonic River valleys, if you know where to look you can still see the destruction that the hurricane caused (In New Hartford, there is the remains of dam that broke. In Unionville, the “Rails to Trails” path follows the old railroad tracks that were washed away.). Many of the flood control dams in the watersheds are a result of the ’55 Hurricane. There were other hurricanes that have hit Connecticut, but for me the benchmark is Hurricane Diane, they all will be compared to that.
Update 8/24/12: Added photograph, links to the state library & NOAA and hurricane Connie
I remember my father on the phone talking to the state police about how to get back home to Milford, we had to go north and over to Vermont and New York. In New York we drove down the Taconic Parkway and then over the Merit Parkway, crossing the Housatonic river in Stratford on one of the few bridges across the Housatonic that was passable. Our house in Milford was on a high bluff next to the river. I remember looking down at the river and seeing all the debris piled up on its banks, the little marina was gone, just the piling remained. There was still flotsam coming down the river and we were told that there were coffins from a cemetery up river that was washed away and the coffins had floated down the river.
Later, we took a trip up river to visit friends and family. My mother had family in Waterbury and we visited them. I remember seeing most of Waterbury destroyed from the floodwater, there are photographs and an article about the storm damage in Waterbury here. After we left Waterbury was drove up to Winsted. The whole center of the town was washed away, you can read their stories here.
Now when you drive around the Farmington, Naugatuck and Housatonic River valleys, if you know where to look you can still see the destruction that the hurricane caused (In New Hartford, there is the remains of dam that broke. In Unionville, the “Rails to Trails” path follows the old railroad tracks that were washed away.). Many of the flood control dams in the watersheds are a result of the ’55 Hurricane. There were other hurricanes that have hit Connecticut, but for me the benchmark is Hurricane Diane, they all will be compared to that.
Update 8/24/12: Added photograph, links to the state library & NOAA and hurricane Connie
It's Hurrican Earl, not Elaine.
ReplyDeleteWe lived two blocks uphill from the Naugatuck River in Waterbury and watched the devastation all day long on August 19, 1955. That day, I saw more helicopters (who were rescuing people) than I had during my previous 4 years on the Planet Earth.
ReplyDeleteMy mother's uncle lived on State St.
ReplyDeleteState Street was close to the "action." too!
ReplyDeleteThey we at the top of the street by the telephone company, so they weren't affected by the flood.
ReplyDelete